Rise of the Planet of the Apes Review

Next to Star Wars, Planet of the Apes can be firmly pointed out as one of the most influential sci-fi franchises of the century. Whereas Star Wars was given three (albeit disappointing) prequel episodes earlier in the decade, the PotA franchise has remained largely dormant, aside from an ill-received 2001 remake, since the last installment to the main story in the form of 1973’s Battle for the Planet of the Apes. Now almost forty years later we’re finally being treated to a proper series installment with a prequel. Don’t let that turn you off of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. If you’re looking for a continuation of the main story, look no further. If you know nothing about the franchise and are yearning for a worthy introduction to the admittedly convoluted mythology, it’s here. If what you’re looking for is intelligent summer entertainment and couldn’t care less about the Apes saga, Rise still delivers.

At first, RotPotA centers around Will Rodman (James Franco), a scientist working for Gen-Sys, a company striving to discover a cure for Alzheimer's disease. Rodman believes he’s found just this in the form of a virus that enables the brain to automatically reproduce lost cells. The serum starts to show signs of its ability to enhance brain activity in its ape test subjects, as discovered by Will when he harbors exposed young chimp Caesar (Andy Serkis), and soon Caesar starts to question his, and his species’, place in society and brings up some insanely deep social questions that are usually absent in summer blockbusters. Don’t expect a monkey-centric story until the final stages begin to unfold, though. The film is largely human character driven, other than the obvious presence of Caesar throughout the majority of the runtime. This may sound odd in a film titled Rise of the Planet of the Apes, but it actually serves to more handily advance the plot and give the film a much more tangible and realistic feel, a far cry from the emotionless special-effects extravaganza that was 2001’s remake. 

Now Oscar-nominee Franco delivers a great performance in his (arguably) leading role. He’s backed up by a competent human supporting cast including Tom Felton and John Lithgow that’s never outstanding but always solid. Outside of these actors is a truly spectacular performance by Andy Serkis as chimp Caesar. For a character with just a couple lines in the entire film, it’s amazing how much emotion and expression the talented actor manages to convey with just physical output. On a related note, prepare to get attached to some non-human primates to a surprising extent. A few dialogue-less scenes manage to masterfully get across tragedy and triumph using just facial expressions, grunts, body language and relationships established through these means earlier in the film. It’s a really incredible experience to sit in front of a screen and be moved to the extent that Rise manages to by a scene featuring only CGI apes. 

Rise puts to use the points established in previous Apes installments to create set-ups that wouldn’t be possible for a stand-alone film. Say good bye to the summer norm of good versus evil brought forth by so many blockbusters. Rise opts to feature two bleak shades of gray, neither of which comes without its flaws and both of which could warrant support given the viewer’s ideals. One scene I’d be rooting for my own species, and the next I’d find myself helpless to the cause of Caesar’s rebellion. This constant momentum kept every scene interesting. A couple jarringly cruel actions by the two sides served to tear me away from this experience momentarily, but none of these moments ruined it and by the film’s close I still found myself wondering whether or not I was happy with the direction the story had taken. Not whether or not I liked the ending, but if “my team” had won or not. Then I realized it really didn’t matter. The film comes to a satisfying if slightly abrupt close and no matter who you decide to root for in the end you won’t leave the theatre feeling at all short-sighted.

Of course, the nature of a prequel often warrants changes in the mythos of a series, and so is true with Rise. Newcomers won’t notice, but seasoned Apes veterans will undoubtedly catch on to a select couple of plot holes, none of which are un-explainable, but most of which are left un-explained.

At the end of the day summer entertainment of this caliber is a rare thing. Rise is intelligent, exciting, tragic, and epic at all the right moments. It’s restrained enough to be called a drama but has enough pure entertainment value to be considered an action film. Either way, and no matter your history with the Apes franchise, this warrants your attention if you’re a half-decent moviegoer. The summer season has all but come to a close, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a more than worthy finale. 

Final Score:

8.5/10
"Outstanding"